(Eagle News) — Filipinos avidly followed the father and son exchange between President Rodrigo Duterte and his youngest son, Baste, where the President admitted to making use of national media coverage to look for his son.
The President said he was concerned because the 29-year old Sebastian, who is more known for his nickname “Baste,” had been gone for a long while now. He could not be found at home, and when the President asked his men to ring him up, he would not pick up the phone.
Duterte said that even his grandson, Baste’s child, would say that his father is missing, and when asked if he loves both his parents, the child said, “Mama lang.”
This alarmed the President as he called on his son to come home and “spend time with your children.”
Nasasaktan ako na marinig (sa apo ko), “Love mo, Papa mo, Mama mo?’ Mama lang’. Eh yung anak ko si Baste ang tatay…. Baste, nasaan ka?”
“Hindi ko naman talaga alam kung saan eh. Kaya I took advantage of the national coverage,” the President said.
He asked his security to ring up his son to no avail.
“Sabagay nanduon kay ano, kay.. doon sa love niya kay Ellen,” he commented referring to actress Ellen Adarna.
Hay naku, buhay… Buti tayo.. kasi lumaki tayo sa disiplina. Tama yan,” the President added.
Through facebook, the presidential son answered his father.
It was on February 2 during a speech that the President first called his son’s attention to his frequent going out.
His son, Baste, answered in his Facebook post, saying his father should just “Chill lang.”
“Good morning, Pa. Nasa kabilang bahay lang ako noong February 1 pa. Huwag ka nang ma-stress (I’ve been staying in the other house since February 1. Don’t get stressed). Love you mwah,” he said in a Facebook post.
He said he really loves being the President’s “favorite son.”
When the President again aired his call to his son to come home on Monday, February 6, during his speech at the Bureau of Internal Revenue launching of the 2017 tax campaign, the presidential son wrote another post saying: “Pa, tama na please.”
News about this was immediately picked up by national media, and even by the foreign press.
BBC even made a news report out of it as it cited various views of Filipinos reacting to the father-and-son exchange as reported by national media. Some reacted with “incredulity” according to BBC, while some understood the President for making use of media coverage to reach out to his son.
